


that cold war threat

by laurctte



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 22:24:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurctte/pseuds/laurctte
Summary: Alexander and Aaron have a night to themselves. They bicker, like they always do. Day or night.





	that cold war threat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Waistcoat35](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waistcoat35/gifts).



> This is for Moonz's gift exchange! I hope u like it friend!!

Aaron and Alex usually don’t have time to themselves.

 

Usually, they’re around each other, sure, but time for them to just relax and watch movies? It’s something they rarely have.

Right now, both are clicking away on their keyboards, on opposite ends of the coffee table. Couldn’t sit at the dinner table, seeing as it was piled up with paperwork and assignments and, shockingly, with food.

 

They glance up at each other, smile, and reach for each other’s hands. Fingers interlaced, and for a moment, they forget the endlessly bright computer screen, forget their reports to sift through, and squeeze each other’s hands.They stay like that for a few moments. Fingers intertwined like bramble bushes that got shoved together.

 

The moment is over, though. When they get another notification, when one of their laptop screens starts to dim.

 

They let go, and they keep on working. Aaron has mysterious higher ups to please, and Alexander has Washington.

 

Alexander finishes his work around one in the morning. But he doesn’t go to sleep. He always ends up on the couch, heating up ramen for Aaron, and staying up later for him.

 

The extra time gives him time to get ahead anyways.

 

It’s the routine. Please higher ups, get a better job when they get through law school.

 

When Aaron’s done, he sets down the computer. Puts it on sleep, because he doesn’t trust that the computer won’t shut down. Saves all his files first, though.

 

 _Of course he would_ , Alex thinks. _Why wouldn’t he save it all?_ Aaron is all about practicing caution. And it’s one of those many things that Alexander both loves and hates about him sometimes.

 

But Aaron is practically crawling into Alex’s lap, head on his shoulder, leg draped over his lap, arm in similar condition over his chest.

 

“We should get to bed.” Is all Aaron says. But it’s a joke at this point. They haven’t actually slept in their bed since the beginning of the year. Won’t sleep in it until next summer break. They’re rarely home when they have free time. After all, they already spend enough time inside the house.

 

But they have nowhere to go right now. They have the curtains drawn, but they know it’s pitch dark outside.

 

Alexander looks down at Aaron, who’s staring at the empty cup o noodles box.

 

Alex shifts, and Aaron is knocked out of his daze. He’s tired.

 

He’s pretending he’s not, though. Aaron always tries to keep up with Alexander’s pace, no matter how fast or ridiculous said pace may be.

 

Alex wants to point it out. Even though he knows it’ll just wound Aaron’s pride, and he’ll have to deal with the passive aggressive silence.

 

With two cases within two months? Alexander doesn’t want to deal with a sulking boyfriend on top of it.

 

So he doesn’t say anything.

 

Aaron keeps trying to get him to talk, though. “What are you thinking about?” Seems he’s in the mood to listen to Alexander’s long and messy tangents, rather than resist throttling him for them.

 

“The last time we had sex.” Alex rebuffs.

 

“You’re always thinking about that.” Aaron counters.

 

That’s how it is with them. Lunge, parry, riposte. Until one finally gets their way.

 

Seems that Aaron is getting his way tonight.

 

“Is it such a bad thing, though?.” Is all Alex wants to concede to, though.

 

“Can’t you think about something else?”

 

“Okay. I’m thinking about not thinking about sex.”

 

“Nevermind then.” Aaron says.

 

Silence stretches on for a few stifling minutes. Aaron is about to throw in the towel and just fall asleep like this. Even without the blanket-

 

“I’m thinking about where I’m gonna convince Washington to let me take you for spring break.” Alex says. It’s not true. He’s thinking about how handsome Aaron is. How he wishes that he could slow down and have more moments like this.

 

But Alex has too much pride to say such things, give Aaron ammunition.

 

Aaron is about to complain that really, he can’t do one thing without it being his idea first?

 

But Aaron doesn’t want to just fall asleep and skip out on the opportunity to not be awake and killing his eyes by staring at a computer screen or be sifting through documents and assignments with ridiculously small text.

 

Hell, Alexander already has lenses at twenty three from all the work on his eyes. Not like he uses them, though.

 

“Really?” He says, at least trying to be excited, because they haven’t had a spring break to themselves since their third year of college. Two years ago. But right now his mind is foggy.

 

“Yeah. Skip out on manhattan and maybe go down to California?” It’s a nice suggestion.

 

“Do you want an opportunity to show off your tan lines?”

 

“You can pretend you don’t find them attractive, but I know you do.” Alex snips.

 

Aaron doesn’t find them attractive in the slightest, but he lets Alex poke fun.

 

“Maybe then we’d have the sex you so dearly miss.” Aaron muses, and Alex digs his fingers into his ribs.

 

Aaron practically springs off him, but he’s smiling.

 

And that’s one thing Alex never hates about him. Aaron’s smile is so radiant it could be used as an energy source.

 

Aaron keeps grinning, and when Alex springs on him, he starts laughing. And somehow, Alex starts laughing too. Even though Alex isn’t tickling him anymore. They’re laughing even though nothing in particular is funny.

 

“I miss this.” Aaron says. And Alex just sits back up.

 

It’s silent again, and for a moment, Aaron thinks Alex is going to say that they’re working for something more important, or that it’s not that important.

 

But he’s pleasantly surprised by “Me too.” And Alex smiling at him.

 

Aaron retakes his position, draped over Alexander and that’s exactly when Alexander decides to be insufferable.

 

“But you know we have to. We signed up for this, you know.”

 

“I know, Alexander.”

 

“I know you know.”

 

“You would do well to act like it.” Aaron grumbles.

 

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means that you can’t seem to just let us have fun and reminisce without reminding me that we have to work!” Aaron springs from Alexander again, but his face is dragged down in a pained neutral face.

 

Alexander hates that damn face.

 

He loves fighting with Aaron, though. So he overlooks it. Overlooks lots of things, actually.

 

Aaron keeps jabbing. “Is there nothing else you think about?”

 

Alexander snaps that he’s just stating the facts- he doesn’t need to get defensive every time Alexander says something.

 

And there it goes again. Lunge, parry, riposte.

 

“Maybe if you didn’t always do this.”

 

“What, speak my mind? Weren’t you asking me what I was thinking not five minutes ago?”

 

“That’s not the point and you know that, Alex.”

 

“Well then what is the poin-“

 

He’s cut off by the tired sigh. “Never mind.”

 

They’re silent again. Licking their wounds. Each waiting for the next fight. For someone to snap.

 

But it never comes. When it doesn’t, Alexander just slides over his hand, nudging Aaron’s.

 

Aaron doesn’t say anything. But Alexander knows he’ll win. Aaron always bends when they fight.

 

He gives it five minutes. Five minutes of total, boring, borderline painful silence.

 

Alexander loathes every second.

 

Wishes he could grab Aaron’s hand and spit out an apology so the tension- and by extension, the silence, would come to a close.

 

He waits, though, and just as expected, Aaron bends. Takes his hand and squeezes it.

 

Alexander tries to sound genuine. “I’m sorry.” And to a degree, he is. “I love you.” He says. He doesn’t need to try to sound genuine his time.

 

A smile creeps back up Aaron’s face. Even if it’s a sad one.

 

“I know you do.” He says. “I love you.” He says it. Even in that frustrated, tired voice that he always has after they fight.

 

And that reminds Alexander why he doesn’t like it when they fight. It’s not so fun and interesting when there’s no more buttons to push. Aaron didn’t pull Alexander onto him into an angry kiss.

 

Aaron’s just tired.

 

And Alexander feels bad.

 

He puts his arm over the back of the sofa, and Aaron looks at him.

 

Leans into the opening given to him, and curls up against Alexander’s side. Doesn’t drape himself over like before, just slotted into the space.

 

“I really am sorry.”

 

Aaron doesn’t know whether he believes him or not.

 

“We can go to bed.”

Aaron snorts. “So we can fuck?”

 

“I don’t actually always think about sex.”

 

“I know, but I’m allowed to make fun of it being your go-to excuse.”

 

“Can we go to bed, though?” Alexander sounds hopeful that Aaron will accept, and Aaron can never deny Alexander something. Especially not when he gets that hopeful voice that fools him into thinking- feeling, more like, that Alexander is gentler, more naive than he truly is. Than he ever was or will be, for that matter.

 

Aaron concedes again. Lets Alexander put the point of his blade dead center on his chest.

 

He wishes he had the will to outdo him tonight. Then he wouldn’t have a wounded pride to nurse as he’s hurriedly pulled to the bedroom by a smiling Alexander. The bedroom they haven’t used in months.

 

Aaron smiles to himself at the thought of it being dusty. It’d be a small victory for him if Alexander threw the covers up in the air, as one does, and be assaulted by dust. And then he’d be sneezing for the rest of the night.

 

Aaron is _somewhat_ ashamed of himself for thinking that dust is somehow an acceptable, and even enjoyable form of revenge. But really, does he care about what his internal insecurities think of his petty hypothetical dust-revenge scheme?

 

Alexander opens the door, and wow, they’d almost forgotten what the inside of the bedroom looked like.

 

It’s a little dusty, and the wounded part of Aaron is happy to see it. But the bed isn’t, and he’s not as bothered as it as he wishes he could be.

 

He’s just tired, and right now Alexander is letting the pace slow down, letting Aaron be vulnerable around him. And Aaron wants that, to be vulnerable.

 

Even while he’s a shark in training.

 

Alexander would say that. That being vulnerable is a weakness that Aaron should not be so eager to show off to him.

 

And he’s right. Aaron knows he’s right.

 

But that’s all secondary to the way Alexander throws the sheets up, just like Aaron said he would, and how he shifts, then settles under the thick covers, made for use in the winter. Then pats the space next to him.

 

It’s all secondary to how Aaron climbs in and hates the high pitched noise the fabric makes, but settles in beside him, and lays his head on Alexander’s chest.

 

It’s secondary to the way Aaron can feel Alexander’s chest, expanding, then contracting, with each breath.

 

It’s beneath secondary to the soft “I love you,” That Alexander murmurs out again, not as a replacement for an apology, or an excuse for hurting Aaron for god knows which time. But a genuine sentiment, all on its own.

 

Aaron’s heart flutters.

 

“I love you too.”

 

And neither sleep. Not really, anyways.

 

They pretend to, because they’re in bed and they’re curled up together. But their eyes are wide open, and their minds are racing.

 

They’re just pretending they’re asleep by keeping the silence going.

 

And the silence makes everything seem to fit into place. Everything seems to be okay. They’re not fighting or fucking or working or going on cheesy dates.

 

Just breathing in each other’s presence, with the power to break the silence but, even somewhat, respecting each other enough to keep it going.

 

It’s soothing. Almost dreamlike, even though they’re not sleeping.


End file.
